NEUTRALS

Mystic Black

#383938

RGB 56, 57, 56 · HSL 120°, 1%, 22% · CMYK 2, 0, 2, 78

Mystic Black is #383938 in HEX — rgb(56, 57, 56), hsl(120°, 1%, 22%), cmyk(2%, 0%, 2%, 78%).

Mystic Black pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 120°, 1%, 22%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#383938

RGB56, 57, 56

HSL120°, 1%, 22%

HSV120°, 2%, 22%

CMYK2, 0, 2, 78

Decimal3684664

CSS RGBrgb(56, 57, 56)

CSS HSLhsl(120, 1%, 22%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Kilz

Mystic Black TB-39

Exact match

Vista Paint

Black Licorice C-528

ΔE 0.5 · #373938

Hallman-Lindsay

Black Licorice 529

ΔE 1.1 · #3A3B3B

Sherwin-Williams

Greenblack SW6994

ΔE 1.1 · #373A3A

Benjamin Moore

Mopboard CW-680

ΔE 1.3 · #38393A

Dunn-Edwards

Black DEA187

ΔE 1.3 · #3B3A3A

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 1.3 · #383737

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 1.4 · #3B3938

Dulux

Black Caviar SN4H9

ΔE 1.6 · #3A393A

Behr

Madison Avenue QE-64

ΔE 1.9 · #3C3D3D

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 2.8 · #313536

RAL

Black Olive 6015

ΔE 3.5 · #3B3C36

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 3.5 · #414040

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

ΔE 4.2 · #3F4043

IKEA

IKEA186 186

ΔE 4.5 · #302F2F

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 9.7 · #392A27

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

4/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneGreen UndertoneBlue

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral blue undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#383938

#393839

Analogous

#383938

Triadic

#383938

#383839

#393838

Split-Complementary

#383938

#383839

#393838

Tetradic

#383938

#383839

#393839

#393838

Monochromatic

#0D0D0D

#121212

#383938

#5D5F5D

#838683

Rectangle

#383938

#383939

#393839

#393838

Compound

#383938

#393839

#393838

Variations

Lighter

#5F615F

#878987

#B9BAB9

Darker

#2C2D2C

#1F1F1F

#121212

Saturation

#383838

#383938

#1C541C

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

11.60:1

AAA

vs Black

1.81:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#383938

#393938

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#383938

#393938

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#383938

#383939

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Mystic Black gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#695745

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#383938

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#575C69

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EBEBEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#3C243C

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Aura Interior (for richer color depth in deep tones)

Recommended Finishes

Matte (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Satin (doors)

Deep colors look best in matte — gloss exaggerates surface flaws. Reserve subtle sheen for trim, doors, and high-touch areas.

Best Surfaces

Accent walls · Doors · Cabinetry · Built-ins

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Tinted primer in a similar value is highly recommended — saves a coat and prevents the wall colour from washing the surface.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #383938;

CSS — background

background-color: #383938;

CSS Variable

--color-mystic-black: #383938;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'mystic-black': '#383938' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#383938] text-[#383938]

SCSS

$mystic-black: #383938;

Similar Colors

Black Tar

#38393A · ΔE 1.3

Mopboard Black

#373839 · ΔE 1.4

Black Beauty

#393736 · ΔE 1.5

Blacktop

#393D3C · ΔE 2.0

Ebony King

#383A3C · ΔE 2.1

Onyx

#353434 · ΔE 2.3

Black Jack

#3D3D3E · ΔE 2.4

Black Iron

#3A3C3E · ΔE 2.4

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #383938?

#383938 is Mystic Black, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #383938 warm or cool?

Mystic Black reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Mystic Black?

Mystic Black works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Mystic Black?

Mystic Black pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Mystic Black?

You can download Mystic Black on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Mystic Black?

The hex code is #383938. In RGB it's 56, 57, 56, and in HSL it's 120°, 1%, 22%.

← All colors